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Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Strange World

I landed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta yesterday afternoon at 1:30. As the plane touched down, I began to praise God for the last 3 months--for His provision and protection, for all of the things He taught me, for all of the people who I've shared life with these last 3 months. I also prayed for Liberia--for the children I left behind, for the government, for the orphanages that I've spent time at, for the director's who are caring for the children. As the plane pulled up to the gate, I had butterflies in my stomach. I was ready to be home, but I've really been worried about how I would react to all things 'America'. After making it through immigration and customs, and riding the train to baggage claim, I started my trip up the long escalator...I knew my family would be at the top, and after 22 hours of travel I started climbing the steps up the escalator...I couldn't wait any longer. I saw my family, and my sister and dad stepped through the crowd....and then it was long hugs all around...and the tears came. These last 3 months have been wonderful and challenging and wonderfully challenging, but I am finally home!

There are so many strange and foreign things about home. There's the obvious, like white people everywhere, elecrticity, running water and air-conditioning. I feel like I'm breathing clean, fake air. When I woke up this morning in my bed, I laid there for awhile, just looking around my room. It was quiet--no chickens, no car horns, no children laughing or crying, no hammering. I put my bare feet down onto plush carpet, I flipped on the light switch, I flushed the toilet with the push of a button, I opend the fridge and grabbed the milk(!), I sat down in front of the tv, I turned on my computer and checked my email. The trees here are tall. I can't see the horizion. The road is smooth and the car ride was quiet. I'm watching President Bush on tv, talking about ARV's and malaria and food prices (which a few months ago, I would have flipped channels already). I notice the sound of the washing machine, and the hum of the air-conditioning is noticable too.

Everything is different. I woke up in a diferent world today.

I'm going to take it easy today, but I hope to have a bunch of pictures and posts ready soon. I also fixed the pics of Bomi Lake and The Pink Latrine.

1 comment:

Janice Flahiff
said...

Thank you for your blog, Ashley. I hope all is well with you. I was "up country" in a village near Ganta in Nimba County as a Peace Corps Volunteer (1980-81).Am about 80% cleared to take 3 weeks vacation next May to join with a group of former Peace Corps Volunteers...to return to Liberia for service projects, a conference, and similar things. I have a sponsor child (of 4 years) in Monrovia, she's about 17 and in the 7th grade. For a service project, thinking of something library related (since I am a medical librarian at a medical college). Anyways, I see your faith is deepening through your experience. It wasn't until a few years after I returned from Liberia I saw how God was visiting me daily through LIberians...mostly just through the ordinary which was..quite extraordinary.Peace, and God Bless!!

About Me

I first traveled to Liberia in 2007 and worked at an orphange for a month. God used the experience to reconfirm my heart's desire to reach the children of Africa. I lived in Monrovia, Liberia and served with a small, grassroots NGO from February 2008-June 2012. I spent my days loving on amazing kiddos living in orphanages and working with orphanage directors, as well as the government of Liberia.
God began to make me aware of other needs, and I ended my time working with orphanages. I came back to Georgia and spent almost a year praying about the next step. The next step is here, in the form of Red Meets Green! I am going back to Liberia to open a community center, to minister to my neighbors. The last 8 years have been a crazy, God adventure...and I am so excited to see what He has in store! I can't wait to share the next chapter with you!
You can contact me at: ashleystoll [at] gmail [dot] com.